Granted Patent B2

US 8,971,476 · App. 13/670,808 · Granted Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

Claims (13)

1. A zirconium alloy nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding, subject to a nuclear reactor environment, the cladding having

an inner surface and inner volume of zirconium alloy,

an outer surface and outer volume of a protective material,

wherein the protective material is a Ti—Al—C ceramic, and

an integrated middle volume of zirconium oxide, zirconium, and excess sound velocity-impacted protective material,

where the highest density of protective material is at the cladding outer surface to protect the cladding from reactor environment and any further oxidation of the zirconium,

where the integrated middle volume provides structural integrity for the cladding.

2. The nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding of claim 1 , wherein the protective material penetrates through zirconium oxide and into zirconium alloy due to an impact velocity greater than 340 meters/second.

3. The nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding of claim 1 , wherein the protective material penetrates through zirconium oxide and into zirconium alloy due to impact velocity between 400 m/s and 1,200 m/s.

4. The nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding of claim 1 , wherein the protective material was applied by either a cold spray process or a thermal kinetic deposition.

5. The nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding of claim 4 , wherein the temperature of the cold spray process is between 250° C. and 1,200° C., and for thermal-kinetic deposition, is between 1,200° C. and 3,500° C.

6. The nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding of claim 1 , wherein the protective material particle size is between 1 μm and 500 μm.

7. The nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of deposition of protective material is between 1 μm and 200 μm.

Assignments (9)